Amarillo Area Teen Job Outlook

School is out for most of the area and now teens are out looking for summer jobs, but there aren't many available.

The Amarillo area experienced the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 4.2%, but area adults have started to fill those summer jobs usually held by teens.

Eddie Carrillo is a sixteen year-old from Tascosa High School who has applied all over town, but hasn't found anything yet.

"I'm not really looking for any specific job, I'm just looking for something," said Carrillo.

He says the biggest problem he's faced is a lack of experience and jobs being filled by recently laid-off adults or those looking for second jobs.

We spoke with Wonderland Amusement Park today and they tell us they received more than three times the applications they received last year.

Many of those applying this year are older than the usual high school-aged workforce.

"It's more retired people [applying] that say they are tired of sitting at home and want to have something to do," said Paul Borchardt, Wonderland Park owner. "And everyone wants to drive the train."

Borchardt says the increase in applications gives him the opportunity to weed through those of less experienced applicants, applicants like Carrillo.

"One of the challenges is that there's a lot of people looking for jobs [as well], and there are a lot more people on the list before you that are going to be hired," said Carrillo.

Borchardt insists that history shows teens don't always want to work.

But Carrillo says that's not going to slow him down.

"I think I'm going to keep going back to those places where I [already] applied and keep wrangling them, [asking] if they are going to hire me or if they know something about my application," said Carillo.

Carrillo says he wont stop looking, even if it takes him all summer.

Wonderland Park tells us they hired even more people this year to give more people jobs, and allow employees flexibility.